Yandere is a combination of two Japanese words: yanderu, which means “sick” or “mentally ill,” and deredere, which means “lovestruck.” These types of anime characters portray themselves as lovely and sweet in front of their potential lovers. However, they harbor unhealthy obsessions and can turn violent and erratic when their loved one is taken away.
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Yandere are often seen in anime as chaotic characters. They usually have dead eyes, are covered in blood, and have an unhinged laugh. They are overwhelmingly jealous and want their lover to be with them, and them alone. It’s not a strange occurrence for a yandere to murder their love interest’s entire family with the intent to have them all to themselves. But within this archetype, which female characters show the yandere nature best?
While the characters are not officially ranked, the most iconic ones are highlighted first.
Updated on October 24, 2025, by Mark Sammut: Yandere anime girls are hard to come by. The Fall 2025 season’s new anime does not have many obvious examples, although This Monster Wants to Eat Me’s Shiori could qualify as an unusual case since she seems to love Hinako while wanting to eat/kill her.
This article has been restructured and updated with new images. Illya from Fate has been added too.
Yuno Gasai (Future Diary)
The Poster Child Of Yandere Characters In The Anime World
For the most part, Yuno is sweet, feminine, and shy, especially around her crush Yukiteru Amano; however, it’s a mask to hide her dark side, which is ruthless, cold, and calculating. She doesn’t mind sacrificing people in cruel and violent ways to ensure her and Yukiteru’s survival. This side of her was born because of her mother’s constant abuse when she was a child.
To make her feel better, Yukiteru promised to marry Yuno. Her obsession with him grew quickly after this promise, to the point that she was willing to harm those whom she believed would take Yukiteru away from her: friends, family, enemies, and particularly other girls. The only way to calm her down is for Yukiteru to declare his love for her, much to her joy and his dismay. Sadly, her “lover” is not totally safe from her yandere tendencies; for example, Yuno once kidnapped Yukiteru when she thought a Diary User would kill him.
Yukako Yamagishi (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
The Girl Who (Arguably) Started The Yandere Archetype
Yukako is a beautiful and popular girl who could have any man she wants, but she has eyes only for Koichi Hirose. Unfortunately, this love is a scary one as she is very obsessive about him, and most guys feel sorry for him. Though she comes across as sweet and demure, Yukako is quick to violence and anger should anyone (even Koichi) go against her. She even kidnaps and tries to brainwash Koichi to make him fall in love with her.
Yukako is often considered the first yandere girl in manga, and it’s easy to see how she set the standard for this archetype. Yuno Gasai from Future Diary might be the poster child for yandere females in anime, but Yukako can be considered the main reason why they even exist.
Kotonoha Katsura (School Days)
A Standout Among The Other Obsessive Girls Fighting For Makoto’s Attention
One of the two main heroines of School Days, Kotonoha is sweet, intelligent, polite, and reserved. She is so reserved that she doesn’t have a single friend until she meets Sekai Saionji and Makoto Itou. After getting to know each other, Kotonoha and Makoto became a couple. Their relationship had many difficulties, as Makoto would sometimes forget his girlfriend and mess around with someone else, mainly Sekai.
Kotonoha’s yandere nature comes out when Makoto ignores her or spends time with other girls, and things get gruesome quickly. She’s obsessed to the point where she will use her body to keep him with her. In the anime, Sekai stabs Makoto to death, after which Kotonoha cuts off his head and shows it to her on the school rooftop. Then, she kills Sekai and cuts open her stomach to make sure she’s not carrying Makoto’s child. In the end, Kotonoha is seen on a boat, hugging Makoto’s severed head and feeling content.
Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia)
Her “Love” For Other Characters Is Very Twisted
Himiko is a pretty twisted individual, much like her MHA companions, but it’s her twisted view of love that makes her utterly terrifying. Once she’s attached and “loves” someone, she is willing to hurt anyone and everyone who gets in her way or feels threatened by them. She is very possessive of Izuku Midoriya and truly believes what she feels for him is affection, even though she tries to attack him. The only other person that she feels affection for is Ochako Ururaka, whom she tries to be like because she loves her.
Her sadistic tendencies and overall demeanor are enough to make most people scared of what she could possibly do. She is very happy when trying to kill someone, smiling when doing so, and has a creepy look that makes her look lovesick.
Misa Amane (Death Note)
A Girl Who Is Okay With Being Used As A Weapon
Misa might not have the crazy yandere face, but she definitely has a lot of yandere traits. She was more than okay with giving up half of her lifespan to get the Shinigami Eyes to help Light. She became obsessed with him and swore her life to serve him. Light uses her feelings for him for his gain, and she never once sees him as evil.
She is perfectly fine with killing anyone who gets in the way of Light and his goals. As long as she remains Light’s number one tool, Misa is willing to shorten her life as many times as needed and kill whoever he says needs to die.
Lucy (Elfen Lied)
A Girl Who Only Knows Cruelty And Handles Her Problems With More Cruelty
Kaede is a diclonius girl, an evolved species superior to humans, and is the main protagonist of the Elfen Lied series. In the orphanage where she grew up, she was constantly bullied by the other kids for having a different appearance. This bullying caused her personality to split into three: Kaede, Lucy, and Nyu. When the orphanage kids beat up her puppy and killed it in front of her, Lucy, her psychotic personality came out and killed all the kids in a fit of rage.
After growing up, she became incredibly sadistic. She severs limbs and blinds enemies, and if that isn’t enough, she leaves them to bleed to death rather than ending their lives. Despite her indifference to human life, she will not harm Kouta, the show’s male protagonist, nor kill in front of him.
Shampoo (Ranma 1/2)
Violence Paves The Way To Love And Obsession
Due to Ranma 1/2‘s comedic nature, Shampoo’s violent antics are drenched in slapstick silliness, which might make her seem less threatening than most other yandere anime girls. However, in terms of pure fighting prowess and tendency to rely on violence to solve her issues, Shampoo is right up there with the worst (or best) of them, and she is willing to kill.
When she first appears in both versions of the anime, this female warrior actively tries to murder Ranma, only to eventually fall in love with him. While she stops trying to massacre Ranma at that point, Shampoo continues to turn to violence in an attempt to eradicate any other love interests, particularly Akane. Ranma 1/2 is one of the most beloved comedies of all time, and Shampoo contributes significantly to the manga and anime’s success. The 2024 reboot has only served to further strengthen Ranma 1/2‘s legacy.
Nadeko Sengoku (Monogatari)
Started Off Sweet, But Became A Yandere The Moment She Became A God
Monogatari‘s Nadeko was a pretty sweet, if very shy, girl throughout the series. But all that changed when she realized her feelings for Koyomi would never be reciprocated. After this realization, Nadeko swallows a talisman and becomes a snake-haired goddess. She lashes out at Shinobu first after the latter tries to eat her. Unfortunately for Koyomi, he’s not safe from her wrath. Even after trying to apologize, Nadeko is beyond listening to him.
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Nadeko might not be the traditional yandere out there, but she’s made an impression on fans. While all the girls in Monogatari are rather peculiar, no one expected Nadeko to snap like this.
Kurumi Tokisaki (Date A Live)
Known As The “Worst Spirit” For Multiple Reasons
There’s been a long debate on whether or not Kurumi is a yandere, but it can’t be denied that certainly checks more than a few boxes for one. She’s obsessed with Shido, not because she loves him, but because she wants to eat him and gain his power. When not trying to eat Shido, she’s very flirtatious and loves teasing him for her own amusement.
After Shido almost dies defending her, Kurumi is a little more friendly but still wants to eat him and tells him upfront that she has her reasons for helping him. As the series goes on, Kurumi falls in love with Shido. It might not be as obsessive as other yandere girls, but Kurumi is willing to sacrifice herself for Shido just to keep him safe.
Anna Nishikinomiya (Shimoneta)
Can’t Tell The Difference Between Love And Lust
She might seem sweet and innocent at first, but Anna is far from that. Living in a world where all “immoral” activities and adult/dirty jokes are forbidden has clearly affected Anna and her growth as she becomes obsessed with Tanukichi Okuma after they accidentally kiss. This moment unlocks her yandere side, and she’s willing to do anything to get closer to him.
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While not as violent as most yandere females, Anna shows her scary side when threatening other females to stay away from Tanukichi. She claims that she loves him, but Anna might not be able to distinguish the difference between love and lust.
